Swiss Military to invest Rs 200 crore for pan-India expansion

Switzerland-based lifestyle brand for men, Swiss Military, has embarked on a store expansion plan to enhance its presence in India. It has outlined capital investment of Rs 200 crore to set up its own stores and in developing a logistics and warehousing network, a company official said.

“We have been selling our range of products in India since 2011-12 and now time has come to go for a major retail presence. We have decided to have 172 stores in key markets across India,” Anuj Sawhney, MD, Swiss Military Worldwide. He further added: “The company would own and run 12 stores and the rest 160 outlets would come up through the franchise route. The store rollout will start from May and all the 172 stores will be up and running by the end of 2017.”

Swiss Military Lifestyles Products Ltd is the Indian marketing arm of the company. The company’s international range includes travel gear, writing instruments, watches, garments, accessories, kitchenware, eyewear, leather goods, outdoor/ hiking equipment, footwear, cosmetics and electronics. The company has over 1,800 stock keeping units in the global portfolio. Swiss Military will soon introduce watches in India and by June it has plans to offer bicycles to its customers in the price range of Rs 12,000 to 25,000. Better footprint outlines capital investment of Rs 200 crore and plans 172 stores in key markets across India.

Incepted in 1984 with only watches, Swiss Military has now increased its portfolio to a large range of products from key chains to bicycles across 26 countries.

Toni&Guy mulls doubling India saloons to 100 in 3 yrs

London-based hair styling firm Toni&Guy plans to double its saloons to over 100 in the next three years in the country and wants India to be its second highest contributor in its global fold. 

"We have 53 saloons right now and we would double it in next 2-3 years," Toni&Guy Group Finance Director Rupert Berrow told PTI. 

As per its growth strategy, the company would focus on the metro markets and top tier II places through brand Toni&Guy, while it would also promote its sub-brand Essensuals to cater the aspirational class from tier II & III cities, he added. 

"We would have our own hair dressing academy in the next 6 to 12 months to bring the next generation of professionals here," he added. 

Berrow further said:"India is our fastest growing market in the world. If we get the number of our saloon double in three years time then India would be our second largest market both in terms of number of saloons and revenue". 

At present, Australia is the second highest contributor of Toni&Guy in revenue terms. 

"In terms of number of saloons, India has overtaken Australia as the second largest market but in terms on revenue, it has not because the market in Australia is much long established and the average bill is higher," Berrow added. 

Over expansion, Toni&Guy North India Director Sonali Bhambri said: "Even the existing metro has an appetite to double the count and we can easily reach the target". 

Toni&Guy has three master franchise in India for north, west and south region. 

"Essensuals would open in tier II & III cities which are price sensitive at low price point," Bhambri said adding that number of saloons growing in future would be from Essensuals". 

Established in London in 1963, Toni&Guy operates 300 salons in UK and over 500 salons in 42 countries worldwide. It has a revenue of 200 million a year.

Dr Batra's to open 20 clinics in India, overseas in FY17

Dr Batra's Healthcare is planning to add around 20 new homeopathy clinics across India and abroad by the end of this fiscal as part of its expansion plans. 

"We plan to add 10 clinics in India and 10 abroad during the current financial year," Dr Batra's Healthcare Founder Chairman Mukesh Batra told PTI. 

At present, most of the clinics are company-owned but in tier-III and tier-IV cities, the company has franchise partners, he added. 

The group will also focus on expanding the reach of its FMCG products in India by doubling the number of outlets to 10,000 from 5,000 at present, he added. 

"As we already have a substantial presence in India with 219 clinics, the emphasis here will be more on consolidation while in overseas the focus will be on expansion," Batra said. 

The markets that the company is looking abroad for expansion are the UK, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Oman, Bahrain, Doha, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Switzerland, among others, he added. 

The company is also diversifying its product base, Batra said: "We are entering the nutraceuticals market with launch of four products." 

Founded in 1982 by Mukesh Batra, Dr Batra's Healthcare has 226 clinics spread across around 130 cities in India, Dubai, the UK and Bangladesh.

Poney to open its second store in Delhi

Poney, a Malaysia- based kid's wear brand is opening its second store in Delhi next week. The brand will launch its spring-summer collection 2016 at DLF Saket Mall.

Offering a range of 'supreme quality' apparel for infants and children up to 15 years of age, Poney also plans to introduce its high-end range called 'Enfants'.

"We see India as a potential market, because consumers here seek for quality and style. With an increase in the disposable income of the consumers; we are particularly eyeing at strata A and B segment of our target audience, as they seem to appreciate the quality and styling sensibilities of Poney," Albert Tan, Founder of Poney, Said.

The brand plans to come up with classic silhouette, playful paint and soft abstract prints with decorative floral embellishments, romance lace and woven spandex materials to capture the essence of the season. The collection's colour palette will mainly focus on tones such as Maui blue, lemon meringue, blue curacao, bridal rose, apricot buff and silver birch.

Carl’s Jr. opens its third outlet in Delhi NCR at Mall of India Noida

After the successful launch of its Saket and Pacific Mall outlets, Carl’s Jr., the American burger chain, has opened a bigger and better outlet at DLF Mall of India, Noida. The DLF Mall of India, Noida location marks the third Carl’s Jr. restaurant in the country, which is in sync with CKE and CybizCorp’s strategy to develop a minimum of 100 restaurants in India within the next 10 years. 

The brand has been brought to India by Cybiz BrightStar Restaurants , owned by Gurgaon based CybizCorp, through a master franchise agreement with CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc., parent company of Carl’s Jr.

 

Sana Chopra, Executive Director, Cybiz BrightStar Restaurants, said, “After opening two restaurants in Delhi, a space in the NCR was an obvious choice. We've found a natural ally and partner in DLF Mall of India, the new lifestyle destination in India. We are bringing a unique and distinct ambience along with attractive propositions such as our famous Chargrilled burgers and comfortable California  themed décor.” 

Following the launch in Noida, Carl’s Jr. will be opening additional restaurants in the Delhi/NCR region before moving to other territories with sub-franchisees.

Lite Bite inks agreement with Burger King for outlets in airports

Lite Bite Foods Ltd, promoted by Dabur scion and entrepreneur Rohit Aggarwal, has inked an agreement with Florida-based QSR chain Burger King Inc to set up the latter’s stores in airports and other travel retail platforms.

The company said it is also exploring to take the partnership to high street location.

Burger King entered India in 2013 through a joint venture with PE firm Everstone Capital. The PE firm had signed a long-term master franchise and development deal that includes sub-franchise rights in India.

Rohit Aggarwal, Director, Lite Bite Foods, said, “We have entered into an independent agreement with the Burger King Inc directly to set up outlets in airports. We plan to have three outlets to begin with”.

As part of the agreement, Lite Bite Foods will soon be launching the first franchise outlet of Burger King at the Mumbai airport. This will be Burger King's first outlet at an airport in the country.

Aggarwal said that the three outlets will entail an investment of ₹8-9 crore with stores ranging from 1,200-1,500 sq feet.

Asked if the company is also looking to set up stores in high streets, Aggarwal said the company is evaluating the possibility. “We may look at it but will have to do that in conjunction with Everstone who is the master franchise for Burger King in India,” he added.

Domino's Opens 1,000th Store in India

Domino's Pizza, the recognized world leader in pizza delivery, celebrated the grand opening of its 1,000th store in India, Domino's fastest-growing international market, last week. The store, located in Unity One Mall, Janakpuri, Delhi, opened on Feb. 5.  India has more Domino's stores than any other market outside the United States and Domino's is the largest pizza brand in India. 

"This is truly a remarkable accomplishment," said Patrick Doyle, Domino's president and CEO. "India just opened its 900th store this summer. The fact that they are now at 1,000 stores half a year later is a testament to the opportunity for growth in India and the commitment of our master franchisee, Jubilant FoodWorks, to serving customers in this important market."

Shyam and Hari Bhartia, the brothers who founded Jubilant FoodWorks, first brought Domino's to India in 1995. They had a commitment and a vision for what the brand could be for customers in India, including excellent food quality and customer service, along with tremendous opportunities for the people the brand employs. They created an organization with around 30,000 team members, where a delivery driver can move up the ranks and become a store manager within two years.

"For over 20 years Domino's has focused on bringing the best pizza to our customers in India.  The team's focus on menu variety, exciting flavors and quality ingredients has helped to make Domino's the leading pizza brand in India," said Richard Allison, president of Domino's International. "We're proud to celebrate their tremendous growth and outstanding success, which has been built by committed leadership and the hard work of thousands of team members across the country."

Domino's operates in more than 80 international markets and had global retail sales of more than $8.9 billion in 2014, comprised of more than $4.1 billion in the U.S. and nearly $4.8 billion internationally. Domino's has opened more than 3,000 net stores around the globe since the first quarter of 2010.

Gionee seeks nod for single-brand stores in India

Chinese phone maker Gionee is planning to apply for a single-brand retail licence, following the easing of rules. "It is in process," said Arvind Vohra, Gionee India CEO, adding that the application will be filed with the Department of Industrial Promotion and Policy (DIPP) in the coming weeks. Apple has applied for a similar.

In November, India scrapped a 30% local sourcing condition for overseas companies seeking to invest more than 51% equity in the single-brand retail segment. It also allowed single-brand licence holders to sell products through their own online platforms. 

The Chinese company's products are sold through multibrand stores and 30 Gionee-branded franchises. 

It plans to increase the number of franchisee outlets to 100 by March and 250 by December, Vohra said. The Shenzen-based mobile phone maker will also open 200 exclusive service centres in India. 

Even though the company plans to sell its products through its own ecommerce platform, Vohra said a brick-and mortar presence was needed for building the brand in India. "Fundamentally, I believe that first we have to create our brand by focusing on offline rather than online," Vohra said" .  "Online is purely on (discounted) prices with no marketing, branding and loyalty." 

Vohra said India was a key market along with the home Chinese market and Africa. Vohra said the company may open some flagship stores and is targeting the top 100 malls in India to open franchisee stores. 

Adidas eyes 20% revenue from own stores

In a major retail push, German sportswear maker Adidas is planning to earn 20% revenue from its own stores in India by 2020. At present, it operates a franchise-based model here, similar to ones followed by its competitors Nike and Puma.

To begin with, the company plans to open around six flagship stores in large cities, measuring 5,000-10,000 square feet. Envisaging larger volumes, it has also opened a 2.6 lakh square-feet centralized warehouse near the Capital to streamline its supply chain, akin to the ones operated by e-commerce companies.

"We want to double our turnover to around Rs 1,600 crore by 2020 from Rs 805 crore at present. These large format stores will help us achieve that," said Dave Thomas, MD of Adidas Group India. "Our franchise partners were earlier hesitant to invest in these big stores. That mindset is changing. However, most of these flagship stores will be owned by us."

Last year, Adidas became the first sportswear company in the country to get government approval to open its own stores.

This year, Adidas wants to turn its focus on its lifestyle brand Adidas Originals, which accounts for a third of its global business but only 5% in here. "We will launch new formats of Adidas Originals stores here. Earlier, Originals products wouldn't sell here. But now, with increased awareness, the products are flying off the shelves. There is a lot of potential in that line," said Thomas.

While around half of Adidas's business here comes from apparel, Thomas said the trend is changing. "People are buying more expensive footwear. Two years ago, the average buying price of a pair of sports shoes was around Rs 3,000. Now, it's around Rs 5,000," said Thomas.

Massive Restaurants to open more Pan-Asian ‘Pa Pa Ya’ branded restaurants

After tasting its success in Mumbai, Pa PaYa, the modern Asian Bistro and Tapas Bar, is all set to travel to Delhi. Massive Restaurants is planning more outlets of PaPaYa in Delhi as well as Mumbai. According to Zorawar Kalra, Managing Director, Massive Restaurants, the company will open two PaPaYa outlets in Delhi coming months, while adding one more in Mumbai. “PaPaYa has been an eye-opener for us. The restaurant received fabulous feedback since we opened our first restaurant in Mumbai. We always thought that our comfort zone is Indian cuisine. But PaPaYa has made us believe that if we follow the same tenets of passion, and research, you can make success out of other cuisines as well,” Kalra said. The company has 10 operational restaurants under four popular brands like Farzi Café, Made In Punjab, Masala Library, and PaPaYa. When asked about their expansion plans, Kalra said they will be opening six more outlets across brands by the end of the financial year 2015-16. These include Farzi Café (Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore); Made in Punjab (Noida and Mumbai) and Masala Library (Delhi). “We will add three more PaPaYa restaurants over the next six to eight months time,” he added. While expanding their brands in India, Kalra said that the company will also be opening outlets in destinations outside India, especially in Middle East through franchisee business. Farzi Café is all set to open in Dubai and the company is confident of opening a couple more in Middle East in coming years. “All our international expansion will be through franchise business,” Kalra added.

French brand Lacoste looking at franchisee model to expand

French luxury brand Lacoste is planning to explore the franchisee model for expansion into tier-II cities in India.

The decision follows the good response it got in some tier-II cities such as Jalandhar, Jaipur, Chandigarh, and Pune.

According to Rajesh Jain Managing Director & CEO, Lacoste India, good responses were seen from tier-II towns located near the big cities. This apart, an increase in brand awareness coupled with rising proliferation of shopping malls in smaller towns are good indicators.

“While expansion in tier-II towns will mostly be through franchise routes, we will look to stick to the own-store format in major cities,” he told BusinessLine. Lacoste is currently present across 45 tier-I and II locations mostly through the company-owned model.

Plans are afoot to double the point of sales 90 over the next four years (FY-19). Created in 1933 by René Lacoste, the brand – famous for its polos (collared t-shirts) – entered India in 1993. Lacoste India is a strategic alliance between Lacoste and Sports and Leisure Apparel Ltd (SLA).

Most of the apparels sold here are manufactured from its existing facility in the country.

The company has one unit located in Noida, and the second one – in the same complex – is expected to be operational over the next six months.

Lacoste did not share the capacities or the investment details but maintained that units would suffice its India requirements.

According to Jain, the company was also mulling the entry into Nepal and Sri Lanka over the next one year.

Currently, SLA has the exclusive rights to manufacture Lacoste branded garments in India.

American premium burger chain Carl's Jr set to enter India

Come April, Indians will have the choice to taste charbroiled burgers by Carl's Jr - a brand that has been endorsed by the likes of Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian and Padma Lakshmi.

California-based premium burger chain, Carl’s Jr, which is known for its signature line of charbroiled thick burgers and is among the top 10 quick service restaurants chains globally, is set to enter India, with the first outlet to be opened here by April next year.

The American fast-food chain has already signed a franchisee agreement with city-based Cybiz BrightStar Restaurants Pvt Ltd, owned by CybizCorp. Over the next five years, there would be at least 100 Carl’s Jr outlets in India, said Sam Chopra, group chairman and founder of CybizCorp The chain targets to open about 1,000 outlets across India over 10-15 years.

Carl’s Jr joins the race with the world’s second largest burger chain Burger King, which had formed a joint venture with private equity fund Everstone Capital last year to develop its presence in India and plans to open the first outlet soon.

Besides, its rival, Fatburger has already opened its first outlet in Gurgaon, near Delhi recently.

“It is a burger that is delivered in just three minutes after the order is placed. And, we deliver it fresh. Nothing is prepared before hand,” said Chopra, adding that he would, for the first couple of years, focus on the northern market. The chain would spend about $25 million (about Rs 150 crore) in the first five years in developing a presence in India.

CKE Restaurant Holdings, the parent company of Carl’s Jr, had already invested $1.5 million in India in consumer research, product development and tasting trials during the past three years, Chopra said.

“We target ticket size at Rs 400. We’ll not offer beef in India, and for the first time in Carl’s Jr history, vegetarian burger, with six varieties, will be introduced. Over the next few years, we may also look at taking vegetarian burgers to other countries,” Chopra said, adding that Carl’s Jr will not target the mass market. Sales of Rs 2.5 lakh a day an outlet would make the venture viable, he said.

Chopra believes that the time is right for a ‘premium burger quick-service restaurant’ such as Carl’s Jr to enter India. “As we are witnessing a burger revolution in our country, a parallel phenomenon that was witnessed in the pizzas and pasta category a decade back,” he added.

Besides India, Carl’s Jr has recently entered new markets like Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Denmark, Ecuador, New Zealand and the Bahamas.

Over the past decade and a half, a handful of quick-service restaurants have made a beeline for India, including McDonald's, Yum Brands - the owner of restaurants such as Pizza Hut, KFC and Taco Bell- and Subway.

US Burger Chain Carl’s Jr To Make India Debut

California-based burger chain Carl’s Jr will be opening 100 burger restaurants in India through its franchise partner CybizCorp.

The development came to light following announcement of CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc, (CKE), parent company of Carl’s Jr, signing up a development agreement with India’s Cybiz BrightStar Restaurants Private Limited, owned by CybizCorp.

The initial agreement is for opening 100 Carl’s Jr. premium burger restaurants and CKE believes there is potential for more than 1,000 restaurants in India over the period of time. “We have been preparing for an entry in India for more than three years, and after substantial due diligence we decided to sign CybizCorp as our franchise partner in the country,” stated Ned Lyerly, President of International at CKE Restaurants.

“We see tremendous potential in the Indian market, and CybizCorp’s proven track record in the franchise sector in both real estate and F&B gives us great confidence in the partnership and our future success in the country,” he adds.

On this, Sam Chopra, Group Chairman and Founder of CybizCorp, commented, “The time is right for a premium burger quick-service restaurant such as Carl’s Jr. to enter India, as we are witnessing a ‘Burger Revolution’ in our country, parallel phenomena that was witnessed in the Pizzas and Pasta category a decade back. The advent of multiple brands in the premium burger category in the recent past bears testimony to this trend. After successfully managing the Master Franchises of some of the most premium stand alone outlets in the country, representing an iconic brand like Carl’s Jr will be an exciting proposition.”

Sbarro To Open 40 Outlets Pan-India

Sbarro, an American-Italian pizza restaurant chain, is planning aggressive expansion in North and East India. The company plans to open upto 40 outlets in the next five years in Delhi NCR, Punjab, Rajasthan, Kolkata and Gujarat at key strategic locations like malls, metro locations, airports, universities and tech parks. 

Setting foot in North India, the brand that specialises in New York-style pizzas and other Italian-American cuisine, recently launched its first outlet at Huda City Centre Metro Station, Gurgaon. JIFPL - Jyoti International Foods Pvt. Ltd, a leading company in the food supply chain/cold chain sector, is the Master Franchisee of Sbarro for North and East India. JIFPL started its services in 2003 as a Subway franchisee and launched its distribution and logistics services in 2005. Their clientele includes Subway, Chili’s, Krispy Kreme, and Starbucks. 

The Sbarro brand continues to expand in India largely due to our guests’ demand for our high-quality pizzas and Italian food, but also mainly because of our greatfranchise partners. With the support of our partners, India has proven to provide a solid foundation for our brand and we look forward to many continued successes,” said J David Karam, CEO and Chairman, Board of Sbarro LLC.

Speaking on the occasion, Akhil Puri, CEO, JIFPL said, “We aim to build a connect with our customers by promoting the "My Life My Slice" concept and by providing them with fresh and high-quality food at an affordable price.”

Suresh Talreja, MD, JIFPL also commented, “Our endeavour is to bring a fresh perspective to the Italian QSR segment by introducing the pizza-by-slice concept. We hope that the brand will create a niche place for itself in the consumer mind space.” 

America’s FATBURGER To Enter India

FATBURGER, the all-American burger chain, is set all to have its presence in India by last week of August.  The first location in India will be Cyber Hub, Gurgaon. FATBURGER is foraying into India via a Master franchise deal with Vazz Foods Pvt. Ltd.  With over 155 locations around the globe, the gourmet burger franchise continues to bring its quality cuisine to fans worldwide. 

Due to the Indian cultural and taste preferences, FATBURGER has adjusted the menu by incorporating chicken and lamb burgers into its menu as well as placing a significant emphasis on vegetarian options. Several new menu items also use the traditional flavours and spices of India to give the FATBURGER brand an exotic twist, like the Amritsari Onion Rings. Another new addition is The Fat Greek, which uses a unique innovative approach to the classic burger with a juicy, tender lamb patty smothered in homemade tzatziki sauce.

An all-American, Hollywood favourite, FATBURGER is a fast casual restaurant that serves big, juicy, tasty burgers, crafted specifically to each customer’s liking. With a legacy more than 62 years, FATBURGER’s extraordinary quality and taste inspire fierce loyalty amongst its fan base.

Andy Wiederhorn, CEO, FATBURGER says: “Though FATBURGER is famous for its freshly made burgers, we have so much to offer our global fans in terms of variety and flexibility in our vegetarian and non-vegetarian flavour options.”

Mussarat Kang, Head Operations, Vazz Foods Pvt. Ltd says: “We had a lot of fun exploring new menu concepts for our first location, and we anticipate great success in sharing the FATBURGER standard of quality coupled with freshly made- to-order burgers with residents in the market. The Gurgaon location will also be complete with table service and a full bar.”

Arvind to open 40 Gap stores in India

Retailer Arvind Ltd said it hopes to generate sales of Rs.1,000 crore from its franchise agreement with US retailer Gap Inc. Arvind also bagged rights to sell Gap online, a deal that was earlier expected to go to online fashion retailer Myntra. Arvind, which sells owned brands such as Flying Machine and Excalibur as well as licensed brands such as Arrow and Tommy Hilfiger, will invest more than Rs.400 crore over the next five years to open 40 Gap stores in India. The first few stores will be launched in Mumbai and Delhi in May 2015, said J. Suresh, managing director of Arvind Lifestyle Brands, Arvind’s retail unit. 

LuLu International Group Acquires MENA Franchise of Galito's for F&B Division Tablez

Tablez Food Company, the F&B arm of LuLu International Group, has announced a franchise agreement with Galito's, a South African casual dining restaurant chain.
 
Galito's offers authentic flame-grilled chicken cooked to perfection using fresh and natural ingredients. Since its inception in 1996 in South Africa, Galito's has rapidly expanded its operations to develop a strong market presence in the rest of Africa and Canada.
The exclusive franchise agreement mandates Tablez Food Company (TFC) to develop the Galito's brand across the Middle East, India and Sri Lanka.

In the UAE, the Group is actively looking at strategic locations to open its outlets, and is set to launch its first restaurant in the country in the fourth quarter of 2014. TFC aims to invest over AED55 million towards the launch of 15 outlets in the UAE within next four years. In India, TFC plans to invest US$10 million to launch 10 outlets within the next five years

Shafeena Yusuff Ali, CEO, Tablez Food Company, said: "Tablez Food Company is continuously seeking to expand its portfolio by introducing world-class F&B brands that cater to the region's diverse culinary preferences. Our choice of partners is backed by a profound understanding of customer preferences, and we are confident that Galito's, an exceptional brand known for its healthy and delicious food options, will find a high uptake in the region."


Louis Germishuys, CEO - Galito's, said: "We are excited to partner with Tablez Food Company, which has in-depth knowledge and experience of the region's F&B scene and enjoys a significant international market presence. In our bid to provide customers with fresh made-to-order meals, we use the healthiest natural ingredients in our marinade and bastings at Galito's. We look forward to bringing our customised meal options to the Middle East's health-conscious diners." Galito's' entry into the Middle East is rooted in its core vision to emerge as a global brand in its category. The agreement with Tablez Food Company marks a significant step forward in its international expansion strategy.